User interface for the exchange of non-negotiable credits for entity independent funds

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, a graphical user interface includes a conversion option to convert at least a subset of non-negotiable credits earned from one into entity independent funds in accordance with a conversion ratio. The entity independent funds are accepted by a commerce partner as at least partial payment for goods or services provided by the commerce partner. In absence of converting the non-negotiable credits into entity independent funds, the commerce partner does not accept the non-negotiable credits as payment for goods or services. Responsive to a received selection of the conversion option, the computer presents within the graphical user interface a quantity of available entity independent funds for use as payment for the goods or services provided by the commerce partner. The quantity of available entity independent funds results from converting the subset of non-negotiable credits into the quantity of available entity independent funds in accordance with the conversion ratio.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This continuation application claims the benefit of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/420,255 filed 25 May 2006 entitled “Web BasedConversion of Non-Negotiable Credits Associated with an Entity to EntityIndependent Negotiable Funds.” The entire contents of U.S. applicationSer. No. 11/420,255 are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to the field of graphical user interfacesfor exchanging non-negotiable credits for entity independent funds.

Entities often reward consumers for utilizing their services withnon-negotiable credits, such as frequent flier miles, consumer loyaltypoints, and entertainment credits. These non-negotiable credits can beapplied towards products and/or services provided by a granting entityor its affiliates. For example, consumers can apply frequent flyercredits towards the purchase of airline tickets or airline upgrades. Inanother example, a consumer can utilize purchase points from a creditcard company to receive percentage discounts on goods provided byaffiliates. In still another example, entertainment credits can beredeemed for prizes offered in a winnings storefront of an entertainmentsite.

Many problems are inherent to the current techniques for the redemptionof entity provided credits. One such problem is the restriction on usageto goods and/or services of the entity. That is, a consumer may have noneed for the products or services listed by the entity for which thenon-negotiable credits can be redeemed. Further, additional restrictionsand limitations can be placed upon the non-negotiable credits thatlessen the usefulness of non-negotiable credits from the consumer'sperspective. For instance, airlines often limit the choice of traveldates, known as black-out dates, to which frequent flyer credits can beapplied.

Another problem encountered by consumers when redeeming non-negotiablecredits is time. Once a consumer submits a request to redeem theirnon-negotiable credits, the consumer must wait for the entity to performone or more actions required to fulfill their request. These steps oftenrequire days or weeks to complete. For instance, consumers participatingin online entertainment sites often are required to wait a minimum ofthree days for their entertainment credits to be redeemed. Redemptiondelay can be particularly aggravating to e-commerce consumers, who bynature of an e-commerce marketplace expect rapid responses and immediateconsumer gratification.

Time can also be a factor for redeeming credits having an associatedexpiration date. A consumer's non-negotiable credits may expire before asufficient quantity is acquired for a desired purchase. Lesser purchasesrequiring fewer credits may not have a significant appeal for theconsumer. Hence, credit expiration dates can further decrease theconsumer value of non-negotiable credits.

Yet another problem with conventional implementation of non-negotiablecredits is that consumers often belong to multiple credit-earningprograms that provide the consumers with multiple incompatible forms ofnon-negotiable credit. Each of these multiple programs can span a singleindustry or can span multiple industries. For example, a consumer canacquire a moderate number of frequent flyer miles with multipleairlines, where each airline specific account contains insufficientcredits to have any meaningful consumer value. Consumers can also havemany different types of non-negotiable credits, such as multiplemerchant specific credit, credit card credits, and frequent flier miles,each having different redemption values and program redemption rules.These different programs, values, and rules can understandably confuseand frustrate consumers, who due to their confusion, often elect toavoid participating in an entity sponsored credit program.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a Web based conversion ofnon-negotiable credits associated with an entity to entity independentfunds system in accordance with an embodiment of the inventivearrangements disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of successive GUIs that illustrate the Webbased conversion of non-negotiable credits associated with an entity toentity independent funds system in accordance with an embodiment of theinventive arrangements disclosed herein.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method for the Web based conversion ofnon-negotiable credits associated with an entity to entity independentfunds system in accordance with an embodiment of the inventivearrangements disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure permits consumers to transform non-negotiablecredits provided by an entity to negotiable funds in an approximatelyimmediate fashion using the Web. More specifically, a conversion agencycan function as an intermediary that converts entity provided creditsinto entity independent funds. The conversion agency can be anindependent entity that is not directly affiliated with the creditproviding entities.

The conversion can occur automatically using a Web initiated action andcan have approximately immediate results. Approximately immediate asused herein can signify that a transaction can occur within a single Websession with user acceptable delay tolerances, typically under half anhour and often under a few minutes. In one embodiment, credits can beautomatically converted to funds as part of an e-commerce checkout. Inanother embodiment, credits can be converted into a user accessibleaccount held with a financial institution.

The present disclosure can be implemented in accordance with numerousaspects consistent with material presented herein. For example, oneaspect of the present disclosure can include a method for convertingcredits to funds. The method can include a step of a Web site receivinguser identification information. Non-negotiable credits can beidentified that are associated with an entity with which the user haspreviously interacted. The previous interactions could have earned thenon-negotiable credits. Responsive to a user request, a conversionagency can convert a quantity of the non-negotiable credits into aquantity of negotiable funds. The conversion agency can be an agency notdirectly associated with the entity. The user can be permitted to accessthe quantity of negotiable funds. The quantity of negotiable funds canbe applied to user specified purchases. At least a portion of thepurchases can involve at least one vender that does not honor thenon-negotiable credits.

Another aspect of the present disclosure can include a software methodfor converting non-negotiable credits into negotiable funds. The methodcan receive a user request to convert a quantity of non-negotiablecredits held in a user account associated with an entity. A conversionrate between the non-negotiable credits available to the user and a formof negotiable funds can be automatically determined. A quantity ofnon-negotiable credits can be automatically subtracted from the useraccount. A quantity of the negotiable funds based upon the determinedconversion rate and quantity of subtracted funds can be automaticallytransferred to a financial account. The financial account can be anaccount that is not associated with the entity. The entire method canoccur in an approximately immediate fashion.

Still another aspect of the present disclosure can include a Web-basedcredit to fund conversion system. The system can include anon-negotiable credit account, a negotiable funds account, and aconversion agency. The non-negotiable credit account can be associatedwith an entity. Non-negotiable credits contained within thenon-negotiable credit account can be earned though previous interactionsbetween a user and the entity. The negotiable funds account can includenegotiable funds that the user is able to apply to user specifiede-commerce purchases. One or more venders involved in the e-commercepurchases can be venders that do not honor the non-negotiable creditsfor the e-commerce purchases. The conversion agency can automaticallyand approximately immediately convert a quantity of credits from thenon-negotiable credit account to a quantity of funds in the negotiablefunds account responsive to a request from the user.

It should be noted that various aspects of the disclosure can beimplemented as a program for controlling computing equipment toimplement the functions described herein, or a program for enablingcomputing equipment to perform processes corresponding to the stepsdisclosed herein. This program may be provided by storing the program ina magnetic disk, an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or any otherrecording medium. The program can also be provided as a digitallyencoded signal conveyed via a carrier wave. The described program can bea single program or can be implemented as multiple subprograms, each ofwhich interact within a single computing device or interact in adistributed fashion across a network space.

It should also be noted that the methods detailed herein can also bemethods performed at least in part by a service agent and/or a machinemanipulated by a service agent in response to a service request.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a Web based conversion ofnon-negotiable credits associated with an entity to entity independentfunds system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the inventivearrangements disclosed herein. System 100 includes consumer 105 andconversion agency server 130.

Consumer 105 interacts with conversion agency server 130 via client 110.Client 110 can be any of a variety of interfaces including, but notlimited to, another human being, a personal computer, a kiosk, agraphical user interface (GUI), a Web page, a telephone, a personal dataassistant (PDA), a mobile phone, and the like.

Client 110 can operate in a stand-alone fashion. Alternatively, client110 can be a device that cooperatively participates in a network ofdistributed computing devices. Client 110 can also be another humanbeing utilizing an alternate form of Client 110 to access conversionagency server 130 via network 115. Network 115 can facilitate dataexchanges over wireless as well as line-based communication pathways andprotocols.

Both consumer 105 and conversion agency server 130 can interact withassociate server 150, e-commerce server 120, and financial institutionserver 140 via network 115. Conversion agency server 130 includes useraccount data store 135 in which consumer 105 is a member. Associateserver 150 includes customer data store 155 in which consumer 105 is amember. Financial institution server 140 includes account data store142. Account data store 142 includes conversion agency account 144corresponding to conversion agency 130.

Consumer 105 earns non-negotiable credits from associate server 150. Thequantity of these non-negotiable credits is saved in customer data store155. The method in which consumer 105 earns credits can be any of avariety of activities including, but not limited to, making onlinepurchases, making in-store purchases, playing online games,participating in online games of chance, participating in surveys, andthe like. Consumer 105 uses conversion agency server 130 to convert thenon-negotiable credits from associate server 150 into negotiable fundsprovided by e-commerce server 120 or financial institution 140. In oneembodiment, conversion agency 130 can include multiple reward accountsof consumer 105.

For example, consumer 105 earns five hundred credits from participatingin an online game of chance hosted by associate server 150. Consumer 105can choose to use conversion agency 130 to convert any or all of thesecredits to a monetary equivalent. Conversion agency 130 withdraws thenecessary amount from conversion agency account 144 contained within theaccount data store 142 of financial institution 140 and transfers it toan account specified by consumer 105. In another example, consumer 105uses conversion agency 130 to complete a purchase at e-commerce server120. Again, conversion agency 130 withdraws the necessary amount fromconversion agency account 144 contained within the account data store142 of financial institution 140 and transfers it to the account ofe-commerce server 120.

E-commerce server 120 can be any Web site that supports online purchasesof goods or services. In one embodiment, e-commerce server 120 caninclude a distinct payment option for conversion agency 130. Thisdistinct payment option could process the conversion of credits throughtheir Web site. Alternatively, the distinct payment option could launchan application to process the conversion of credit that is separate fromtheir Web site. In another embodiment, associate server 150 can act ase-commerce server 120.

Financial institution server 140 can be any of a variety of entitiesincluding, but not limited to, a bank, a credit card company, aninvestment firm, and the like. In one embodiment, financial institutionserver 140 can reside in the same country as consumer 105 and/orassociate server 150. In another embodiment, financial institutionserver 140 can reside in a country other than that of consumer 105and/or associate server 150.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of successive GUIs that illustrate the Webbased conversion of non-negotiable credits associated with an entity toentity independent funds system 200 in accordance with an embodiment ofthe inventive arrangements disclosed herein.

GUI 210 can be a checkout window from any e-commerce site. GUI 210includes payment button 215. Payment button 215 can represent a paymentoption that includes the conversion of non-negotiable credits topurchase the items in the shopping cart. Selection of payment button 215by a user can produce GUI 220.

GUI 220 can be a display window from a conversion agency. GUI 220includes display box 222 and button 225. GUI 220 can be rendered by anyof a variety of means including, but not limited to, a Web browser, aJAVA applet, a PERL script, and the like. In one embodiment, GUI 220 canbe contained within the e-commerce site. GUI 220 can display the balanceof non-negotiable credits from one or more reward programs. GUI 220contains a means by which the user selects the type of non-negotiablecredits to convert including, but not limited to, a set of radiobuttons, a set of checkboxes, a highlighting mechanism, and the like.Display box 222 can display the monetary value of the selectednon-negotiable credits. The value displayed in display box 222 can bebased on preset conversion factors. Button 225 can represent theinitiation of the process by which the selected non-negotiable creditsare converted to negotiable funds. Selection of button 225 by a user canproduce GUI 230.

GUI 230 can be a display window from a conversion agency. GUI 230includes yes button 232 and cancel button 233. GUI 230 can be renderedby any of a variety of means including, but not limited to, a Webbrowser, a JAVA applet, a PERL script, and the like. In one embodiment,GUI 230 can be contained within the e-commerce site. GUI 230 can displaya summary message of the transaction initiated by GUI 220. GUI 230 caninclude a means to continue the transaction, yes button 232, and a meansto cancel the transaction, cancel button 233. Selection of cancel button233 by a user cancels the transaction and can return the user to GUI220. Selection of yes button 232 by a user completes the transactioninitiated in GUI 220 and can produce GUI 240.

GUI 240 can be a display window from the same said e-commerce site. GUI240 can contain a message acknowledging the successful conversion of theuser's non-negotiable credits into negotiable funds for the purchase ofthe items in the shopping cart.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method 300 for the Web based conversion ofnon-negotiable credits associated with an entity to entity independentfunds system in accordance with an embodiment of the inventivearrangements disclosed herein.

Method 300 can begin in step 305, where a consumer logs onto a rewardsWeb site. In step 310, the rewards Web site utilizes the userinformation provided in step 305 to access the consumer's accountinformation and display the amount of non-negotiable credits in theconsumer's account. The consumer elects to redeem some quantity ofnon-negotiable credits in step 315. If supported by the rewards Website, step 320 can occur in which the consumer can select the form ofnegotiable funds to convert the non-negotiable credits. In step 325, aratio is determined for the conversion of the non-negotiable credits tothe selected type of negotiable funds. This ratio can be determined byany of a variety of means including, but not limited to, an algorithminternal to the rewards Web site, an algorithm contained in a systemthat is remote and/or independent of the rewards Web site, and the like.An electronic commerce transaction is initiated in step 330 to establishthe converted amount of negotiable funds in a user account. The quantityof converted non-negotiable credits is subtracted from the user'saccount in step 335. In step 340, the rewards Web site presents theconsumer with an access means for the negotiable funds. Lastly, theconsumer terminates the session by logging off the rewards Web site instep 345.

The present disclosure may be realized in hardware, software, or acombination of hardware and software. The present disclosure may berealized in a centralized fashion in one computer system or in adistributed fashion where different elements are spread across severalinterconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or otherapparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein issuited. A typical combination of hardware and software may be a generalpurpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loadedand executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out themethods described herein.

The present disclosure also may be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of aset of instructions intended to cause a system having an informationprocessing capability to perform a particular function either directlyor after either or both of the following: a) conversion to anotherlanguage, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different materialform.

This disclosure may be embodied in other forms without departing fromthe spirit or essential attributes thereof. Accordingly, referenceshould be made to the following claims, rather than to the foregoingspecification, as indicating the scope of the disclosure.

1. A method comprising: a computer presenting a graphical user interface(GUI) on a display, said graphical user interface showing a quantity ofnon-negotiable credits earned through previous interactions with anentity, the graphical user interface comprising a conversion option toconvert at least a subset of the shown non-negotiable credits intoentity independent funds in accordance with a conversion ratio, whereinthe entity independent funds are accepted by a commerce partner as atleast partial payment for goods or services provided by the commercepartner, wherein the commerce partner is not said entity, wherein inabsence of converting the non-negotiable credits into entity independentfunds the commerce partner does not accept the non-negotiable credits aspayment for goods or services provided by the commerce partner; thecomputer receiving a selection of the conversion option; and responsiveto the received selection being processed, the computer presentingwithin the graphical user interface a quantity of available entityindependent funds for use as payment for the goods or services providedby the commerce partner, said quantity of available entity independentfunds resulting from converting the subset of non-negotiable creditsinto the quantity of available entity independent funds in accordancewith the conversion ratio.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:responsive to the received selection being processed, the computerpresenting within the graphical user interface a second quantity ofnon-negotiable credits, wherein said second quantity represents anamount of non-negotiable credits available after converting the subsetof non-negotiable credits into the quantity of available entityindependent funds.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: thecomputer presenting a confirmation selector within the graphical userinterface responsive to receiving the selection of the conversionoperation; and responsive to receiving a selection via the confirmationselector that indicates the subset of non-negotiable credits are to beconverted into the entity-independent funds, proceeding to convert thesubset of non-negotiable credits to the quantity of entity independentfunds, wherein if the selection is not received that indicates thesubset of non-negotiable credits are to be converted into the entityindependent funds, the converting of the subset of non-negotiablecredits to negotiable funds does not occur.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the graphical user interface is an e-commerce interface throughwhich goods or services provided by the commerce partner are able to bepurchased.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: the computerpresenting the graphical user interface on the display, wherein thegraphical user interface provides a number of different options forpaying for the goods or services provided by the commerce partner,wherein the different options comprise paying using a credit card, andpaying using the non-negotiable credits.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the graphical user interface is an interface for an on-lineshopping Web site, and wherein the non-negotiable credits are rewardpoints from a credit card company, which is the entity.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the entity independent funds are negotiable funds. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein the entity independent funds are loyaltypoints for a loyalty program of the commerce partner.
 9. A methodcomprising: a computer serving a set of one or more Web pages to one ormore remotely located client machines, wherein the Web pages are able tobe rendered within a client-side browser as a graphical user interfaceon the one or more client machines, said graphical user interfaceshowing a quantity of non-negotiable credits earned through previousinteractions with an entity, the graphical user interface comprising aconversion option to convert at least a subset of the shownnon-negotiable credits into entity independent funds in accordance witha conversion ratio, wherein the entity independent funds are accepted bya commerce partner as at least partial payment for goods or servicesprovided by the commerce partner, wherein the commerce partner is notsaid entity, wherein in absence of converting the non-negotiable creditsinto entity independent funds the commerce partner does not accept thenon-negotiable credits as payment for goods or services provided by thecommerce partner; the computer responsive to receiving a messageindicating a selection of the conversion option, processing theselection to effectuate changes in the served set of Web pages; andresponsive to the processing, the computer serving one or more Web pageswith the effectuated changes causing the graphical user interface toshow a quantity of available entity independent funds for use as paymentfor the goods or services provided by the commerce partner, saidquantity of available entity independent funds resulting from convertingthe subset of non-negotiable credits into the quantity of availableentity independent funds in accordance with the conversion ratio. 10.The method of claim 9, further comprising: the computer responsive toreceiving a message indicating a selection of the conversion option,initiating the converting of the subset of non-negotiable credits intothe quantity of available entity independent funds.
 11. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising: responsive to the processing, the computerserving one or more Web pages with the effectuated changes causing thegraphical user interface to display a second quantity of non-negotiablecredits, wherein said second quantity represents an amount ofnon-negotiable credits available after converting the subset ofnon-negotiable credits into the quantity of available entity independentfunds.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the graphical user interfaceis an e-commerce interface through which goods or services provided bythe commerce partner are able to be purchased.
 13. The method of claim9, wherein the graphical user interface provides a number of differentoptions for paying for the goods or services provided by the commercepartner, wherein the different options comprise paying using a creditcard, and paying using the non-negotiable credits.
 14. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the graphical user interface is an interface for anon-line shopping Web site, and wherein the non-negotiable credits arereward points from a credit card company, which is the entity.
 15. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the entity independent funds are negotiablefunds.
 16. The method of claim 9, wherein the entity independent fundsare loyalty points for a loyalty program of the commerce partner.
 17. Acomputer program product comprising: one or more computer-readable,tangible storage devices; program instructions, stored on at least oneof the one or more storage devices, to be executed by one or moreprocessors causing a graphical user interface to be presented upon avisual display device, said graphical user interface showing a quantityof non-negotiable credits earned through previous interactions with anentity, the graphical user interface comprising a conversion option toconvert at least a subset of the shown non-negotiable credits intoentity independent funds in accordance with a conversion ratio, whereinthe entity independent funds are accepted by a commerce partner as atleast partial payment for goods or services provided by the commercepartner, wherein the commerce partner is not said entity, wherein inabsence of converting the non-negotiable credits into entity independentfunds the commerce partner does not accept the non-negotiable credits aspayment for goods or services provided by the commerce partner; andprogram instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storagedevices, to responsive to a selection of the conversion option beingprocessed cause the graphical user interface to include a quantity ofavailable entity independent funds for use as payment for the goods orservices provided by the commerce partner, said quantity of availableentity independent funds resulting from converting the subset ofnon-negotiable credits into the quantity of available entity independentfunds in accordance with the conversion ratio.
 18. The computer programproduct of claim 17, further comprising: program instructions, stored onat least one of the one or more storage devices, to responsive to thereceived selection being processed, present within the graphical userinterface a second quantity of non-negotiable credits, wherein saidsecond quantity represents an amount of non-negotiable credits availableafter converting the subset of non-negotiable credits into the quantityof available entity independent funds.
 19. The computer program productof claim 17, further comprising: program instructions, stored on atleast one of the one or more storage devices, to present a confirmationselector within the graphical user interface responsive to receiving theselection of the conversion operation; and program instructions, storedon at least one of the one or more storage devices, to responsive toreceiving a selection via the confirmation selector that indicates thesubset of non-negotiable credits are to be converted into theentity-independent funds, proceed to convert the subset ofnon-negotiable credits to the quantity of entity independent funds,wherein if the selection is not received that indicates the subset ofnon-negotiable credits are to be converted into the entity independentfunds, the converting of the subset of non-negotiable credits tonegotiable funds does not occur.
 20. The computer program product ofclaim 17, wherein the graphical user interface is an e-commerceinterface through which goods or services provided by the commercepartner are able to be purchased.
 21. The computer program product ofclaim 17, further comprising: program instructions, stored on at leastone of the one or more storage devices, to present the graphical userinterface on the display, wherein the graphical user interface providesa number of different options for paying for the goods or servicesprovided by the commerce partner, wherein the different options comprisepaying using a credit card, and paying using the non-negotiable credits.22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the graphical userinterface is an interface for an on-line shopping Web site, and whereinthe non-negotiable credits are reward points from a credit card company,which is the entity.
 23. The computer program product of claim 17,wherein the entity independent funds are negotiable funds.
 24. Thecomputer program product of claim 17, wherein the entity independentfunds are loyalty points for a loyalty program of the commerce partner.25. A computing device comprising: one or more processors and one ormore computer-readable, tangible storage devices; program instructions,stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for executionby at least one of the one or more processors, to cause a graphical userinterface to be presented upon a visual display device, said graphicaluser interface showing a quantity of non-negotiable credits earnedthrough previous interactions with an entity, the graphical userinterface comprising a conversion option to convert at least a subset ofthe shown non-negotiable credits into entity independent funds inaccordance with a conversion ratio, wherein the entity independent fundsare accepted by a commerce partner as at least partial payment for goodsor services provided by the commerce partner, wherein the commercepartner is not said entity, wherein in absence of converting thenon-negotiable credits into entity independent funds the commercepartner does not accept the non-negotiable credits as payment for goodsor services provided by the commerce partner; and program instructions,stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for executionby at least one of the one or more processors, to responsive to aselection of the conversion option being processed cause the graphicaluser interface to include a quantity of available entity independentfunds for use as payment for the goods or services provided by thecommerce partner, said quantity of available entity independent fundsresulting from converting the subset of non-negotiable credits into thequantity of available entity independent funds in accordance with theconversion ratio.
 26. The computing device of claim 25, wherein thegraphical user interface is an e-commerce interface through which goodsor services provided by the commerce partner are able to be purchased.27. The computing device of claim 25, wherein the graphical userinterface is an interface for an on-line shopping Web site, and whereinthe non-negotiable credits are reward points from a credit card company,which is the entity.
 28. The computing device of claim 25, wherein theentity independent funds are negotiable funds.
 29. The computing deviceof claim 25, wherein the entity independent funds are loyalty points fora loyalty program of the commerce partner.
 30. The computing device ofclaim 25, further comprising: program instructions, stored on at leastone of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one ofthe one or more processors, to present the graphical user interface onthe display, wherein the graphical user interface provides a number ofdifferent options for paying for the goods or services provided by thecommerce partner, wherein the different options comprise paying using acredit card, and paying using the non-negotiable credits.